ravage

verb

they ravaged the countryside

Syn:

lay waste, devastate, ruin, destroy, wreak havoc on, leave desolate; pillage, plunder, despoil, ransack, sack, loot, rape

••

ravage, despoil, devastate, pillage, plunder, sack, waste

Ravage, pillage, sack, and plunder are all verbs associated with the actions of a conquering army during wartime. Ravage implies violent destruction, usually in a series of raids or invasions over an extended period of time (the invading forces ravaged the countryside). Plunder refers to the roving of soldiers through recently conquered territory in search of money and goods (they plundered the city and left its inhabitants destitute), while pillage describes the act of stripping a conquered city or people of valuables (churches pillaged by ruthless invaders). Sack is even more extreme than pillage, implying not only the seizure of all valuables, but total destruction as well (the army sacked every village along the coast). Despoil also entails the stripping of valuables, but with less violence than sack; it is more common in nonmilitary contexts, where it describes a heedless or inadvertent destruction (forests despoiled by logging companies). Devastate emphasizes ruin and desolation, whether it happens to buildings, forests, or crops (fields of corn devastated by flooding). Waste comes close in meaning to devastate, but it suggests a less violent or more gradual destruction (a region of the country wasted by years of drought and periodic fires).